It is a coincidence that I find myself reading three Eric Walters books in one week but really with the number of books that he has out it's not that surprising. This week I read My Name is Blessing to the grade 3 to 7 classes. The story is the true story about a little boy named Muthini, which means suffering. His mother left him to be raised by his Grandmother. His Grandmother loved him very much but for many reasons she was not able to provide for him. She brought Muthini to an orphanage and asked if they had room for Muthini. There is no room for suffering at the orphanage for suffering but there is room for a blessing. It's such a beautiful story and told so well. If you ever get a chance to hear Eric Walters speak you really should. He's a wonderful story teller.
What really was amazing was seeing the response that the students had to the story. The Forest of Reading is having a contest where students can write letters to Blessing. Eric Walters will judge and select five letters to share with Blessing. Blessing will then respond to the letters and Eric Walters will mail the winners autographed copies of his book. The letters that the students at my school have written are so beautiful and touching. I loved reading how the kids related to the story.